Youglow,girl
Keeping your skin in tip-top shape during autumn and winter requires care and attention to detail – but, fear not, our beauty experts have great tips to help you through the cold months
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It’s time to get serious about your winter skincare regime and make sure it’s not just the hearth which has a glow this year.
Thankfully, it’s the perfect time to start your preventative care battle and get ahead of the game when it comes to healthy skin and complexion during the colder months.
Fiona Fowley, owner of Zen Lifestyle beauty experts, believes it’s vital to get the skincare balance right.
She said: “Our skin is very quickly and quite significantly affected by the falling temperatures of autumn and winter with indoor heating, lower air humidity and lower UV levels creating a dull, dry complexion that’s prone to sensitivity.
“But you can regain your glow factor and achieve radiant cold-weather skin.”
Here are the top five winter skincare tips from the experts at Zen (www.zen-lifestyle.com): Update your skincare regime in the same way you’d update your wardrobe – think weather-appropriate armour.
Replace oil-fighting cleansers and moisturisers with hydrationboosting products for optimising skin plumpness and radiance.
Medik8 – a range of awardwinning and results driven products – offer a capsule collection of potent serums designed to complement existing skincare brands.
Each product is developed and formulated by a team of biochemists and pharmacologists who blend small batches by hand to ensure freshness and potency of actives.
Another winter winner is Elizabeth Arden PRO Barrier Repair Complex, top right, which contains a powerful combination of ingredients to strengthen the natural skin barrier which prevents moisture loss, sensitivity reduction and boosts radiation. And with lactic acid as one of the ingredients, it transforms the appearance of dull complexions, improving skin tone. It’s all too tempting to avoid exfoliation if skin is dry but removing dead skin cells is vital.
Invest in a microdermabrasion session (£55, Zen Lifestyle) to gently resurface the skin so it’s winter-ready.
At home, follow on with Murad’s multi-award-winning AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser (£35), which instantly polishes away dullness and locked-in impurities for a smoother, softer skin texture. Also invest in Elizabeth Arden PRO Sensitive Skin Peel Pads (£54) to deliver the resurfacing benefits of AHAs and BHAs without irritating the skin. Formulated with a blend of glycolic, lactic and salicylic acids, these pads remove dead skin cells and impurities to restore a smooth and radiant complexion. The addition of skin hydrators ensures skin never feels dry or tight. Use once a week in addition to a normal exfoliator for maximum results. While it’s tempting to soak in a hot bath or turn the temperature up in the shower, this can further dry out skin.
Always add moisture-boosting creams to your body to lock in hydration and prevent itchy or dry patches.
Murad’s Collagen Support Body Cream (£45), bottom left, is an intensive body cream that penetrates deeply, infusing the skin with long-lasting moisture whilst also being instantly hydrating. Light therapy – a natural method of light-only skin rejuvenation – uses advanced technology to stimulate the body’s own natural processes to counteract the effects of ageing. It’s also a fantastic treatment to boost dull, tired-looking skin and perfect for anyone looking for an instant lifting and hydrating effect and a smoothing of fine lines and wrinkles. Light therapy is also proven to help SAD (seasonal affective disorder) syndrome. The Omnilux LED facial treatment (£48 or £38 when combined with another treatment) can be done in a lunch break. Don’t forget to keep hydrated – there is no point investing in treatments and products if you don’t nourish your skin from within. At least two litres a day will help prevent dry skin. Add a skinplumping collagen drink, such as Skinade, to your regime.